5 FEBRUARY 2019 BODY OF CHRIST NEWS eral character says a lot about our uniqueness, including our approach- es to processing thought and resulting behaviors. We are looking at the Bible through a mental health lens in order to remember that we are human beings created in the image and likeness of God. Our role on earth is not one of perfection, but one of perfecting. We never finish this process. The key is to keep growing with full confidence that God loves us without condition and will help us on our journey. As a mental health and religious credentialed professional, I have taken comfort in realizing that God’s most noted heroes were no different from you and me. They suffered trauma, grief and loss, behavioral misfunc- tions and mental health issues. Their stories reflect our stories, told with different languages but the same sub- stance. It is my intention to share with our reading public a way to know that emo- tional, behavioral, and mental chal- lenges are not an issue of Godliness, but an issue of our humanity. It has helped me to realize that when I see my human frailties in these areas that I am in Good Company….as I realize that God’s champions suffered the same challenges. So, let’s get started by going to the beginning, Genesis and remembering the first command that was given to the male and female of Adam, found in Genesis 1:28 to be fruitful and multiply. There are many applications to this scripture, we are going to be literal, seeing this command as a responsibil- ity to procreate. When we grew up, we struggled with our hormones. We were told not to have sex, or to, at worst, be careful until marriage. Yet most of us found it challenging, if not impossible, to do either. Worse yet, we were led to believe that there was something wrong with us for wanting to indulge in sexual intercourse during our teen- age years. While I am not condoning reckless sexual behavior, I do want to offer an explanation about the appropriate- ness of sex and an insight into how we can effectively navigate our teens through the completion of their for- mative years and beyond. When we were younger, wanting to explore our sexual capacity, way before marrying age, we were well within natural inclinations. There was nothing wrong with our hor- mones. They were working just as they should. The challenge for us then, and our teens now, is to effec- tively manage sexual tendencies until a socially appropriate age. There is nothing wrong with these inclinations. They are natural and at a different time were honored just as they were. Think about your grand or great grandparents….when they got mar- ried…how old they were. Many of their love stories revealed the fact that they married early in life. Some of our fore-parents married as early as 13 or 14 years of age. It may be difficult to imagine but our ancestors did not wait until they were 18, never mind 21 years of age or older before they got married. Marriage occurred early in life and so did childbearing. Another consideration is the cel- ebration of the Bar Mitzvah and the Bat Mitzvah, a benchmark in ado- lescent development in the Jewish Culture. What does the acknowledge- ment mean? The boy at age 13 and the girl at age 12 have entered into puberty, and so, the capacity to be morally responsible for themselves. This age of accountability occurs, just when we are able to bear children. The mother of Christ wed as a teen and had a baby as a teen, early teen. Permit me to simplify things as fol- lows. Our teenagers are not abnormal or immoral because they have sexual cravings as early as 12 and 13. What we should teach them is that while these cravings are natural, it is not expedient to act on them. The key is to teach them how to manage these crav- ings without feeling that the cravings are wrong, without experiencing guilt because they occur. Their cravings are Biblically based and are to be man- aged in accordance with the rules for the 21st century. We want them to know that there is nothing wrong with what you are feeling. However, in this day and time, it is easier to manage the cravings in accordance with the rules of society. Look at it as potty training our chil- dren. We do not teach them it is wrong to release waste. We teach them that there is a time and a place. Because they are not ashamed of a natural need, they are able to own the need and manage it in socially appropriate ways. We are supposed to be fruitful and multiply. Our bodies let us know that early in life. The key is to attain this goal in accordance with what is expe- dient, helpful, and beneficial. It is called decent and orderly. Decent has nothing to do with morals in this case but expediency. The male and female part of Adam felt the same cravings as we did, and as our children do. When we feel these cravings, WE ARE IN GOOD COMPANY. MYSELF ... continued from page 2